Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass

ABSTRACT

A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass having a medium to high level of resistance to leaf spot and melting out, dollar spot rusts and brown patch; a dark green color throughout the growing season; the ability to form a medium to high quality turf under a variety of environmental conditions; a moderately wide leaf blade; a strong root system and a high level of seed yielding capacity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poa pratensis that has been designated Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass.

2. Description of Related Art

Kentucky Bluegrasses have been dislcosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,156, issued May 9, 1972, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,186, issued May 23, 1972; U.S. Plant Patent No. 4,336, issued Nov. 28, 1978; U.S. Plant No. 6,280, issued Sep. 6, 1988; U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 6,537 and 6,538, issued on Jan. 17, 1989; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,585, issued Feb. 7, 1989; U.S. Plant No. 7,831, issued Mar. 17, 1992; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,490, issued Dec. 7, 1993; U.S. Plant. Pat. No. 9,036, issued Jan. 3, 1995; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,209, issued Jul. 18, 1995; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,611, issued Jul. 23, 1996; and pending U.S. Plant patent applications Ser. No. 08/532,995, filed Sep. 22, 1995, now U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,848, issued Apr. 1, 1997; Ser. No. 08/604,763, filed Feb. 23, 1996, now U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,977, issued Jul. 22, 1997; Ser. No. 08/680,167, filed Jul. 15, 1996 and Ser. No. 08/680,168, filed Jul. 15, 1996.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Ba 78-258 plant material was selected from the open pollinated progeny of Ba70-62 Kentucky Bluegrass, a bluegrass plant maintained at The Scott Company's Research Station in Marysville, Ohio. After testing and observing the Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass variety, it was determined to be a distinct variety, and it was asexually propagated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules.

Seed of Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass was produced first at Marysville, Ohio and later at Gervais, Oreg. This seed was used to plant turf performance evaluation trials and later seed production fields. Asexual production of Ba 78-258 by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) and by disseminules (modified caryopses produced by apomixis) has consistently produced progeny plants indistinguishable from the mother plant. The apomixis level of Ba 78-258 is approximately 95% based upon examining seedling characteristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlings from different crop years in a growth chamber.

Ba 78-258 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a medium to high level of resistance to (a) Dreschslera spp. that causes leaf spot, melting and out and crown rot; (b) Sclerotinia homoeocarpa that causes dollar spot; (c) Puccinia spp. that causes several types of rust infections; and (d) Rhizoctonia solani that causes brown patch. Ba 78-258 is an overall goof turfgrass performer as evidence by medium to high scores for quality and color. Ba 78-258 has a high seed yield potential in the Bluegrass seed production region of the northwestern United States.

In comparison with a number of other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties, Ba 78-258 has an average size seed and rachilla; significantly more hairs on the palea than other grasses; and an above average seed count. The panicle is above average in length and width; average in whorl number, and has an above average branch count for both the lower and third whorls. Ba 78-258 has average size spikelets, floret number and glumes. The peduncle is above average in length and width, and culm length; average in node number and internode length; and below average for internode color. The flag leaf and flag ligule are significantly longer than several other grasses. The leaf is above average in width and thickness and has above average hair content on the dosal side of the ligule and the leaf sheath margin. The leaf has below average hair on the leaf's margin and dosal side. The vegetative leaf and the vegetative ligule are above average in length; but, leaf width and thickness are close to average in comparison to other gases. The hair content of the vegetative leaf is as follows: (a) significantly greater than most other grasses for the upper margin of the ligule; (b) above average for the sheath margins and the leaf dosal side; and (c) below average for the leaf margins, and ventral sides, collar margins, and the dosal side of the sheath.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass panicle;

FIG. 2 is a Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass seed; and

FIG. 3 is a Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass plant shortly after completing anthesis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is perennial with creeping rhizomes forming a dense turf. When plants overwinter in the field under freezing temperatures and are then brought into the greenhouse during late winter to continue growth undistributed by clipping under moderate temperatures (60°-80° F.), culms are erect averaging 48.6 cm in length and 3.2 nodes per culm and the uppermost internode averages 13.6 cm in length. The peduncle averages 22.2 cm in length and 0.71 mm in width. The vegetative leaf averages 22.4 cm in length, 3.4 mm in width, 0.24 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 0.46 mm. The flag leaf averages 5.6 cm in length, 3.7 mm in width, 0.13 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 1.73 mm.

The panicle averages 90.3 mm in length, 56.6 mm in width, and 8.5 whorls. The lowest whorl and the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle average 2.8 and 3.5 branches, respectively. A spikelet in the lowest whorl averages 4.7 mm in length, 2.2 mm in width, 3.2 florets and the outer and inner glumes average 3.1 mm and 3.6 mm in length and 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm in width, respectively. A spikelet from the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle averages 4.5 mm in length, 2.3 mm in width, 3.3 florets and the outer and inner glumes average 3.0 mm and 3.5 mm in length and 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm in width, respectively.

The conditioned seed of Ba 78-258 averages 3.02 mm in length, 0.85 mm in width, and a rachilla length of 0.85 mm. The seed has a high level of hairs at the base of the lemma and palea margin.

Comparisons of Ba 78-258 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in terms of seed dimensions and seed numbers per pound are shown in Table 1 and 2 as follows:

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Seed Length and Width; Rachilla,                   and Lemma Hairs and Palea Hairs of Ba 78-258 and Other                         Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties After Conditioning.                               Seed                       Hairs*                                                      Length   Width    Rachilla                                                                              Lemma  Palea                                  Variety mm       mm       mm     Base   Margin                                 ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258                                                                              3.02     0.85     0.68   3.50   3.10                                   Ba 78-165                                                                              3.32     0.97     0.50   4.00   1.60                                   Ba 77-700                                                                              3.20     0.85     0.77   2.80   0.90                                   Abbey   3.02     0.85     0.56   1.80   0.40                                   Ascot   3.00     0.82     0.68   6.30   1.50                                   Cannon  3.32     0.85     0.72   0.20   2.00                                   Gnome   2.93     0.90     0.61   2.10   0.80                                   Merit   2.85     0.78     0.62   0.90   0.15                                   Viva    2.72     0.77     0.79   1.20   0.20                                   LSD (.05)                                                                              0.191    0.072    0.177  1.53   0.823                                  ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most hairs                                       

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Seeds Per Pound of Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky                  Bluegrass Varieties After Conditioning.                                                       Seeds                                                                  Variety Per Pound                                                       ______________________________________                                                Ba 78-258                                                                              1,127,000                                                              Ba 78-165                                                                              965,500                                                                Abbey   988,500                                                                Buckingham                                                                             978,000                                                                Cannon  1,023,250                                                              Coventry                                                                               1,374,750                                                              Garfield                                                                               1,250,500                                                              Newport 1,250,250                                                              Viva    993,500                                                                LSD (.05)                                                                              77,042                                                          ______________________________________                                    

Ba 78-258 differs significantly from several of the Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to the following morphological characteristics: (1) the culm and top internode length; (2) the flag leaf and flag leaf ligule; (3) significantly more hair for the upper margin of the vegetative leaf ligule; and (4) significantly more hairs on the palea. Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influence morphological characteristics to some extent, comparisons of morphological characteristics of Ba 78-258 were made with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties and the comparisons are set forth in the following Tables 3-8:

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Panicles, Whorl Number and Whorl                   Branches of Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in                the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH.                                                                         Number of                                           Panicles                   Branches                                                    Length   Width    Whorl  Lowest Third                                  Variety (mm)     (mm)     Number Whorl  Whorl                                  ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258                                                                              90.3     56.6     8.5    3.8    3.5                                    Ba 78-165                                                                              78.7     48.2     8.1    3.2    2.5                                    Ba 77-700                                                                              87.7     57.9     8.2    3.9    3.3                                    Abbey   86.4     54.1     9.0    4.1    3.3                                    Ascot   91.4     60.7     9.1    2.4    2.3                                    Cannon  91.7     49.9     8.9    4.4    3.6                                    Gnome   85.4     43.7     9.1    3.6    3.4                                    Merit   77.3     38.9     8.1    2.9    2.8                                    Viva    82.5     46.6     8.0    3.4    3.0                                    LSD (.05)                                                                              8.03     8.83     0.65   0.71   0.59                                   ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 4                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Spikelets and Florets of Ba 78-258                 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at                    Marysville, OH.                                                                Spikelets               Number of Florets                                      Lowest Whorl    Third Whorl Per Spikelet                                               Length  Width   Length                                                                               Width Lowest Third                               Variety mm      mm      mm    mm    Whorl  Whorl                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258                                                                              4.7     2.2     4.5   2.3   3.2    3.3                                 Ba 78-165                                                                              4.3     2.1     4.5   2.2   2.8    2.9                                 Ba 77-700                                                                              4.6     2.1     4.7   2.4   2.9    3.2                                 Abbey   5.0     2.3     4.9   2.3   3.3    3.3                                 Ascot   5.3     2.3     5.5   2.5   3.2    3.6                                 Cannon  4.7     2.0     4.8   2.1   3.2    3.1                                 Gnome   4.5     2.3     4.7   2.2   3.2    3.0                                 Merit   5.0     2.5     5.2   2.5   3.9    3.8                                 Viva    4.9     1.9     5.0   2.0   3.3    3.3                                 LSD (.05)                                                                              0.43    0.35    0.46  0.34  0.52   0.59                                ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 5                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Glumes of Ba 78-258 and Other                      Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,                  ______________________________________                                         OH.                                                                                    Outer Glume                                                                    Lowest Whorl Third Whorl                                                         Length  Width      Length                                                                               Width                                       Variety   mm      mm         mm    mm                                          ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258 3.1     0.6        3.0   0.5                                         Ba 78-165 2.7     0.4        2.7   0.5                                         Ba 77-700 3.0     0.6        2.9   0.6                                         Abbey     2.9     0.6        3.0   0.7                                         Ascot     3.9     0.6        4.0   0.7                                         Cannon    3.2     0.7        3.1   0.6                                         Gnome     2.8     0.6        2.9   0.6                                         Merit     3.0     0.6        3.0   0.6                                         Viva      3.1     0.5        3.1   0.5                                         LSD (.05) 0.29    0.12       0.29  0.13                                        ______________________________________                                                 Inner Glume                                                                    Lowest Whorl Third Whorl                                                         Length  Width      Length                                                                               Width                                       Variety   mm      mm         mm    mm                                          ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258 3.6     0.8        3.5   0.7                                         Ba 78-165 3.2     0.6        3.4   0.6                                         Ba 77-700 3.4     0.7        3.5   0.7                                         Abbey     3.4     0.9        3.5   0.8                                         Ascot     4.3     0.7        4.5   0.9                                         Cannon    3.5     0.8        3.5   0.8                                         Gnome     3.3     0.8        3.3   0.8                                         Merit     3.4     0.8        3.5   0.9                                         Viva      3.6     0.7        3.6   0.7                                         LSD (.05) 0.29    0.13       0.28  0.14                                        ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 6                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Flag Leaves of Ba 78-258 and                       Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,            ______________________________________                                         OH.                                                                                     Leaf                                                                                                       Ligule                                               Length  Width      Thickness                                                                             Length                                    Variety    cm      mm         mm     mm                                        ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258  5.6     3.7        0.13   1.73                                      Ba 78-165  4.0     3.5        0.12   1.45                                      Ba 77-700  4.1     3.0        0.08   1.35                                      Abbey      4.7     3.6        0.12   1.53                                      ***Ascot   4.4     2.9        0.11   1.52                                      Cannon     5.3     3.7        0.12   1.75                                      Gnome      4.6     3.2        0.10   1.40                                      Merit      4.2     2.3        0.08   0.98                                      Viva       3.4     2.5        0.11   1.45                                      LSD (.05)  1.14    0.61       0.02   0.24                                      ______________________________________                                                  Hairs                                                                                               Leaf  Leaf                                                  Ligule  Leaf       Sheath                                                                               Sheath                                     Variety    Dosal   Margin     Margin                                                                               Dosal                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258  2.1     1.4        1.2   0.0                                        Ba 78-165  2.0     0.2        0.1   0.0                                        Ba 77-700  1.3     1.8        0.8   0.0                                        Abbey      1.9     2.2        1.3   0.6                                        ***Ascot   0.8     1.9        0.5   1.2                                        Cannon     1.4     2.4        0.8   0.0                                        Gnome      1.8     1.3        1.0   0.4                                        Merit      1.0     1.8        0.9   1.4                                        Viva       2.5     1.5        0.4   0.0                                        LSD (.05)  0.83    0.72       0.79  0.62                                       ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 =0 many                                  

                  TABLE 7                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Peduncles, Culms, Nodes Numbers                    Per Culm, Internode Length, and Internode Color or Ba 78-258 and               Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at                        Marysville, OH.                                                                Peduncle       Culm    Nodes   Internode*                                                                            Inter-                                          Length  Width   Length                                                                               Per   Length node**                               Variety                                                                               cm      mm      cm    Culm  cm     Color                                ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258                                                                             22.2    0.71    48.6  3.2   13.6   0.3                                  Ba 78-165                                                                             22.4    0.73    47.5  3.1   14.8   1.9                                  Ba 77-700                                                                             21.6    0.68    50.6  3.2   14.7   0.2                                  Abbey  21.5    0.77    40.6  2.6   10.7   0.1                                  Ascot  17.5    0.68    41.9  3.1   14.6   1.6                                  Cannon 20.0    0.74    48.3  3.6   13.4   0.0                                  Gnome  17.3    0.69    40.6  3.2   10.6   1.2                                  Merit  23.6    0.66    44.1  3.0   11.8   0.8                                  Viva   19.7    0.55    50.7  3.5   14.9   0.0                                  LSD (.05)                                                                             2.6     0.8     2.6   0.5   1.2    0.8                                  ______________________________________                                          *Top Internode                                                                 **Rating Scale: 0-9; = darkest color                                     

                  TABLE 8                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Vegetative Leaves of Ba 78-258 and Other           Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,                  ______________________________________                                         OH.                                                                                    Leaf                                                                                                       Ligule                                               Length  Width      Thickness                                                                             Length                                     Variety   cm      mm         mm     mm                                         ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258 22.4    3.4        0.24   0.46                                       Ba 78-165 24.2    3.9        0.23   0.35                                       Ba 77-700 23.2    3.5        0.23   0.50                                       Abbey     19.3    3.5        0.21   0.45                                       Ascot     20.4    3.2        0.21   0.42                                       Cannon    24.6    3.6        0.40   0.46                                       Gnome     19.5    3.8        0.24   0.48                                       Merit     21.8    3.6        0.23   0.41                                       Viva      25.0    3.2        0.24   0.40                                       LSD (.05) 3.67    0.42       0.14   0.06                                       ______________________________________                                                 Hair*                                                                            Ligule                                                                         upper   Color       Sheath                                                                               Sheath                                     Variety   Margin  Margin      Margin                                                                               Dosal                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258 7.7     2.1         4.1   4.7                                        Ba 78-165 4.5     2.0         3.3   3.9                                        Ba 77-700 7.3     2.9         3.1   5.3                                        Abbey     3.9     2.9         2.1   3.3                                        Ascot     4.1     3.5         3.0   3.2                                        Cannon    6.2     2.9         3.2   3.7                                        Gnome     5.6     3.9         2.9   3.1                                        Merit     5.4     3.2         3.7   3.0                                        Viva      6.6     4.5         4.3   3.9                                        LSD (.05) 1.10    0.87        1.21  0.98                                       ______________________________________                                                Leaf Hairs*                                                             Variety  Margin        Ventral Dosal                                           ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258                                                                               0.6           0.4     1.0                                             Ba 78-165                                                                               1.3           0.2     1.7                                             Ba 77-700                                                                               1.5           0.2     0.1                                             Abbey    0.4           1.0     0.2                                             Ascot    0.9           0.0     0.9                                             Cannon   0.4           0.9     0.7                                             Gnome    1.0           0.9     0.5                                             Merit    0.1           0.5     0.0                                             Viva     1.5           0.2     0.2                                             LSD (.05)                                                                               0.75          0.61    0.54                                            ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many                                   

Ba 78-258 has performed well throughout the U.S. as exhibited by medium to high turf quality ratings in comparison to many other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties. In addition, it has a dark green color which can be maintained throughout the growing season.

With regard to comparative analysis conducted for purposes of determining color of Ba 78-258 plants relative to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties, readings were taken of the vegetative color of Ba 78-258 during mid-October while the turf was actively growing with adequate nutrient with water availability. The readings were taken in full sun with several actively growing leaves being compared, one at a time, utilizing color chips from the Munsell Book of Color as a reference. On this basis, the color of Ba 78-258 was determined to be 5 GY 4/6. During the same time period, the color of similar leaves of other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties were determined by the same procedure to be as follows: Ascot -- 5 Gy 4/4; Buckingham -- 7.5 GY 4/4; Ba77-700 -- 5 GY 4/6; Midnight -- 7.5 GY 4/4, Abbey -- 5 GY 4/6; and Victa -- 5 GY 4/4. However, it should be noted that the general apparent color of turf does not always correlate directly with the color of the individual actively growing leaves within the turf and that turf color varies with nutrient level and time of year with some varieties being darker or lighter green depending on such factors.

Comparisons of Ba 78-258 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties for quality, genetic color, winter color, leaf texture, drought tolerance including wilting, dormancy and recovery are set forth hereinafter in Tables 9-18:

                  TABLE 9                                                          ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Quality of Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky                        Bluegrass Varieties at Six (6) Locations in the U.S.                           Test Locations                                                                         Fort    Post           Marys-                                                                               Belts-                                                                               Blacks-                             Variety Collins Falls   Lexington                                                                             ville ville burg                                ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258                                                                              8.7     6.1     6.1    6.8   6.7   4.9                                 Ba 77-700                                                                              8.0     5.1     5.5    6.2   6.7   4.9                                 Abbey   7.0     5.1     6.2    6.7   6.8   5.0                                 Able 1  7.7     7.3     5.4    7.0   6.5   5.0                                 Allure  8.7     6.2     5.8    7.3   7.1   4.6                                 Ascot   9.0     7.7     5.5    5.8   7.4   4.9                                 A-34    8.7     5.9     5.2    7.0   6.2   4.9                                 Banff   8.7     6.2     6.6    6.8   6.7   5.1                                 Baron   7.7     5.4     6.4    7.0   7.0   5.7                                 Buckingham                                                                             7.3     7.3     4.4    5.5   6.3   4.1                                 Cannon  8.0     5.1     5.7    6.5   6.8   5.1                                 Challenger                                                                             8.7     7.3     5.2    6.7   6.6   4.1                                 Classic 8.3     5.5     5.6    6.8   6.7   4.8                                 Coventry                                                                               8.7     7.2     6.5    6.7   7.0   4.7                                 Eclipse 8.3     5.9     6.9    6.2   7.3   5.0                                 Estate  8.7     6.4     6.0    7.0   6.4   5.0                                 Fairfax 8.7     6.7     5.8    6.8   6.8   4.9                                 Georgetown                                                                             8.0     6.3     6.0    6.5   6.9   4.4                                 Glade   9.0     7.5     6.8    7.0   7.6   4.3                                 Gnome   8.0     5.2     5.8    7.0   7.0   5.0                                 Haga    8.0     5.9     6.4    7.0   6.8   4.5                                 Kelly   7.7     5.7     6.0    6.5   6.8   5.0                                 Kenblue 7.7     2.7     4.9    7.0   6.2   3.9                                 Liberty 8.3     6.5     5.5    6.5   6.7   4.7                                 Merion  6.7     2.7     3.8    5.2   4.8   3.2                                 Merit   8.0     4.8     5.9    6.5   6.6   5.0                                 Midnight                                                                               8.0     7.9     6.7    6.7   7.7   4.9                                 Monopoly                                                                               7.7     4.9     6.0    7.3   6.1   5.1                                 Nassau  8.0     5.8     6.0    6.0   6.3   4.8                                 Ram 1   8.0     7.3     5.3    7.3   7.0   5.3                                 So. Dakota                                                                             7.0     4.3     4.7    6.2   4.9   3.0                                 Touchdown                                                                              9.0     7.1     5.3    6.7   6.5   4.7                                 Viva    7.7     5.1     5.5    6.5   6.6   4.9                                 LSD (.05)                                                                              1.2     1.1     1.0    1.1   0.5   0.9                                 ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf                                        

                  TABLE 10                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Quality of Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky                        Bluegrass Varieties at Four (4) Locations in the U.S.                                 Test Locations                                                                   Urbana    Marysville                                                                               Hubbard Pullman                                   Variety  IL        OH        OR      WA                                        ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258                                                                               5.5       7.0       5.6     6.3                                       Ba 77-700                                                                               4.8       6.7       4.6     5.8                                       Abbey    4.8       6.0       4.9     6.5                                       Able 1   5.5       7.0       5.4     5.8                                       Allure   6.0       7.0       6.4     5.9                                       Ascot    4.9       7.0       6.7     6.5                                       A-34     6.0       7.0       5.3     5.5                                       Banff    5.6       6.7       5.3     6.1                                       Baron    5.3       7.0       5.8     6.1                                       Buckingham                                                                              4.3       6.0       4.9     6.1                                       Cannon   5.1       6.3       4.7     5.7                                       Challenger                                                                              5.0       7.3       5.4     6.3                                       Classic  6.2       6.3       4.5     6.2                                       Coventry 6.0       7.0       5.9     6.1                                       Eclipse  5.9       7.0       5.3     6.1                                       Estate   5.9       7.3       6.6     6.2                                       Fairfax  6.5       6.3       6.5     6.1                                       Georgetown                                                                              5.2       6.7       4.9     6.3                                       Glade    5.8       7.0       5.0     6.3                                       Gnome    4.7       6.3       4.1     5.9                                       Haga     5.5       7.0       5.2     6.4                                       Kelly    5.0       6.7       4.4     5.5                                       Kenblue  4.8       4.0       4.3     5.2                                       Liberty  5.3       6.7       5.6     6.3                                       Merion   3.8       6.7       4.1     6.2                                       Merit    4.8       6.3       4.3     6.0                                       Midnight 5.0       7.0       4.2     6.2                                       Monopoly 6.0       6.7       4.4     5.3                                       Nassau   4.2       6.7       4.9     6.3                                       Ram 1    5.0       7.0       5.6     6.7                                       So. Dakota                                                                              4.2       3.7       2.7     5.3                                       Touchdown                                                                               5.6       6.3       3.3     6.4                                       Viva     4.8       6.0       4.9     6.2                                       LSD (.05)                                                                               0.9       0.9       1.1     0.7                                       ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf                                        

                  TABLE 11                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Quality of Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky                        Bluegrass Varieties at Five (5) Locations in the U.S.                          Test Locations                                                                         Fort Collins                                                                             Urbana  Martinsville                                                                           Kingston                                                                              Pullman                               Variety CO        IL      NJ      RI     WA                                    ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258                                                                              6.7       4.6     5.4     5.7    5.9                                   Ba 77-700                                                                              6.3       3.9     4.4     5.7    5.3                                   Abbey   6.3       3.6     4.7     5.7    5.6                                   Able 1  6.3       4.2     6.1     5.8    5.6                                   Allure  5.9       5.5     5.4     5.3    5.8                                   Ascot   6.7       4.2     6.0     5.7    6.0                                   A-34    5.2       4.6     5.0     5.6    5.2                                   Banff   6.1       4.0     5.0     5.0    5.4                                   Baron   5.3       4.1     5.0     5.7    5.8                                   Buckingham                                                                             5.6       2.9     5.4     4.6    5.7                                   Cannon  6.1       4.0     4.3     5.4    6.0                                   Challenger                                                                             6.1       3.2     5.3     5.2    5.3                                   Classic 5.8       4.8     4.9     5.4    5.9                                   Coventry                                                                               6.1       5.4     5.0     5.0    5.9                                   Eclipse 6.6       5.0     5.9     6.1    6.3                                   Estate  5.8       4.7     5.1     5.2    5.6                                   Fairfax 5.9       5.3     4.8     5.3    5.7                                   Georgetown                                                                             5.8       4.3     5.0     5.3    5.4                                   Glade   6.1       5.2     4.6     5.8    4.9                                   Gnome   5.9       3.6     4.7     5.4    5.7                                   Haga    5.6       4.2     4.8     5.2    5.4                                   Kelly   5.9       4.3     4.2     5.2    5.3                                   Kenblue 3.7       4.2     2.8     4.9    3.9                                   Liberty 6.2       4.5     5.2     5.3    6.0                                   Merion  5.1       3.1     4.1     5.4    5.8                                   Merit   6.1       4.6     5.1     5.7    5.9                                   Midnight                                                                               7.1       4.3     7.3     5.1    6.1                                   Monopoly                                                                               4.7       5.7     4.6     5.5    5.3                                   Nassau  5.8       3.0     5.2     5.2    5.6                                   Ram 1   6.1       3.8     4.7     5.7    4.7                                   So. Dakota                                                                             4.1       3.6     2.1     4.6    3.7                                   Touchdown                                                                              6.4       4.5     5.3     5.2    6.0                                   Viva    6.1       4.0     4.4     5.9    5.8                                   LSD (.05)                                                                              0.7       1.1     0.9     0.7    0.7                                   ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf                                        

                  TABLE 12                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Quality of Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass              Varieties at Four (4) Locations in the U.S.                                            Test Locations                                                                   Ames   Hubbard    Kingston                                                                              Haymarket                                   Variety   IA     OR         RI     VA                                          ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258 7.3    4.9        5.8    5.3                                         Ba 77-700 6.9    3.7        6.0    5.4                                         Abbey     6.8    3.2        5.7    5.4                                         Able 1    7.2    5.4        5.9    3.6                                         Allure    7.4    5.6        5.0    5.7                                         Ascot     7.8    6.1        5.8    4.2                                         A-34      7.2    4.0        5.4    4.7                                         Banff     7.0    3.7        4.6    4.4                                         Baron     6.9    3.7        5.6    5.7                                         Buckingham                                                                               6.7    3.8        4.4    4.4                                         Cannon    6.7    3.8        5.2    5.4                                         Challenger                                                                               7.1    3.8        4.7    5.2                                         Classic   7.1    3.6        4.9    4.8                                         Coventry  7.3    5.1        5.3    5.8                                         Eclipse   7.1    3.2        6.0    4.9                                         Estate    7.7    5.2        5.5    5.7                                         Fairfax   7.4    5.1        5.6    5.7                                         Georgetown                                                                               7.2    3.1        5.4    4.9                                         Glade     7.1    2.9        4.8    5.8                                         Gnome     7.1    3.0        5.5    5.7                                         Haga      7.0    3.4        5.1    5.1                                         Kelly     6.9    4.0        5.3    5.5                                         Kenblue   5.8    2.9        4.5    4.7                                         Liberty   7.1    3.6        5.3    4.2                                         Merion    6.9    3.7        5.4    5.6                                         Merit     6.9    3.9        5.7    5.3                                         Midnight  8.2    3.2        5.0    5.2                                         Monopoly  6.9    3.1        5.2    4.8                                         Nassau    6.9    4.0        4.9    5.2                                         Ram 1     7.2    3.3        5.2    5.2                                         So. Dakota                                                                               6.1    2.8        4.8    4.8                                         Touchdown 7.0    3.0        4.5    4.3                                         Viva      6.9    3.4        5.6    5.8                                         LSD (.05) 0.5    1.4        0.8    1.0                                         ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf                                        

                  TABLE 13                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Genetic Color of Ba 78-258 and Other                           Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Four (4) Tests A-D                             Conducted at Various Locations in the U.S.                                                Tests (Mean Values)                                                 Variety      A     B            C   D                                          ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258    5.9   5.7          5.8 6.4                                        Ba 77-700    5.7   5.5          5.8 6.3                                        Abbey        5.6   5.9          5.8 6.7                                        Able 1       6.6   6.8          6.8 6.9                                        Allure       5.7   5.2          5.6 5.7                                        Ascot        6.9   6.8          7.2 7.4                                        A-34         5.0   5.4          4.6 5.7                                        Banff        5.1   6.0          5.5 5.8                                        Baron        6.0   6.0          5.9 6.6                                        Buckingham   7.0   7.2          7.2 7.2                                        Cannon       6.0   5.7          6.4 6.6                                        Challenger   6.0   6.2          5.9 5.9                                        Classic      5.2   5.9          5.2 5.9                                        Coventry     5.9   5.6          5.8 6.0                                        Eclipse      6.3   6.6          6.4 7.2                                        Estate       5.8   5.3          5.3 6.3                                        Fairfax      6.0   5.4          5.4 5.9                                        Georgetown   5.2   6.1          5.3 6.2                                        Glade        6.7   6.3          6.7 6.6                                        Gnome        6.0   6.1          5.8 6.7                                        Haga         5.1   5.8          5.3 6.1                                        Kelly        5.6   5.7          6.1 6.8                                        Kenblue      4.6   5.0          5.3 5.6                                        Liberty      5.9   6.1          6.1 6.4                                        Merion       5.7   5.8          5.4 6.0                                        Merit        5.7   5.7          6.2 6.6                                        Midnight     7.1   7.3          7.7 7.6                                        Monopoly     4.8   4.9          4.8 4.7                                        Nassau       6.0   6.6          6.5 6.8                                        Ram 1        6.7   5.9          6.6 6.2                                        So. Dakota   4.5   4.8          4.7 5.8                                        Touchdown    5.5   5.5          5.3 6.1                                        Viva         5.5   5.5          5.9 6.6                                        LSD (.05)    0.5   0.4          0.7 0.8                                        ______________________________________                                          Genetic Color Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Dark Green                          

                  TABLE 14                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Winter Color of Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky                   Bluegrass Varieties in Two (2) Tests A-B Conducted at Various Locations        in the U.S.                                                                    Variety         Test A* Test B**                                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258       6.0     4.7                                                    Ba 77-700       5.0     5.0                                                    Abbey           1.7     6.3                                                    Able 1          6.3     3.3                                                    Allure          6.0     6.3                                                    Ascot           4.7     4.3                                                    A-34            6.7     2.0                                                    Banff           9.0     3.7                                                    Baron           2.3     5.7                                                    Buckingham      5.3     6.3                                                    Cannon          2.3     6.0                                                    Challenger      7.3     4.3                                                    Classic         9.0     3.3                                                    Coventry        7.0     3.7                                                    Eclipse         4.7     3.7                                                    Estate          5.7     5.0                                                    Fairfax         6.0     4.5                                                    Georgetown      8.0     3.3                                                    Glade           1.7     3.7                                                    Gnome           1.0     5.7                                                    Haga            9.0     3.0                                                    Kelly           2.3     5.7                                                    Kenblue         1.3     3.0                                                    Liberty         7.3     3.3                                                    Merion          6.7     3.3                                                    Merit           3.7     6.0                                                    Midnight        3.0     1.7                                                    Monopoly        4.3     2.7                                                    Nassau          7.7     5.0                                                    Ram 1           1.7     3.7                                                    So. Dakota      2.3     4.0                                                    Touchdown       3.0     2.3                                                    Viva            2.3     4.0                                                    LSD (.05)       1.9     2.1                                                    ______________________________________                                          Winter Color Rating Scale; 1-9; 9 = Complete Color Retention                   *Location: North Brunswick, NJ                                                 **Location: Post Falls, ID                                               

                  TABLE 15                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Leaf Texture of Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky                   Bluegrass Varieties in Two (2) Test A-B Conducted at                           Various Locations in the U.S.                                                  Variety         Test A* Test B*                                                ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258       4.7     4.0                                                    Ba 77-700       4.0     4.0                                                    Abbey           5.0     4.3                                                    Able 1          5.7     6.3                                                    Allure          4.3     4.0                                                    Ascot           5.3     6.0                                                    A-34            4.3     5.2                                                    Banff           5.3     5.2                                                    Baron           5.0     4.2                                                    Buckingham      4.0     3.7                                                    Cannon          4.0     4.0                                                    Challenger      5.0     4.5                                                    Classic         5.3     5.3                                                    Coventry        5.0     4.2                                                    Eclipse         5.7     5.7                                                    Estate          4.3     3.8                                                    Fairfax         4.7     4.0                                                    Georgetown      6.0     4.8                                                    Glade           5.0     4.8                                                    Gnome           5.3     4.2                                                    Haga            5.7     5.2                                                    Kelly           4.3     4.0                                                    Kenblue         6.0     5.8                                                    Liberty         5.0     4.7                                                    Merion          4.0     4.2                                                    Merit           4.7     4.0                                                    Midnight        6.7     6.0                                                    Monopoly        5.0     4.5                                                    Nassau          5.0     4.3                                                    Ram 1           5.0     4.8                                                    So. Dakota      3.7     4.8                                                    Touchdown       5.3     5.8                                                    Viva            4.3     4.0                                                    LSD (.05)       0.9     0.8                                                    ______________________________________                                          Leaf Texture Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = very fine                                  *Locations: Martinsville, NJ; pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard, and            Gervais, OR.                                                             

                  TABLE 16                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Drought Tolerance (Wilting) of Ba 78-258 and Other             Kentucky Varieties in a Test A Conducted at Richmond Hills, Canada.                   Variety Test A                                                          ______________________________________                                                Ba 78-258                                                                              5.3                                                                    Ba 77-700                                                                              5.0                                                                    Abbey   5.0                                                                    Able 1  5.3                                                                    Allure  4.3                                                                    Ascot   4.0                                                                    A-34    5.3                                                                    Banff   4.7                                                                    Baron   4.7                                                                    Buckingham                                                                             4.3                                                                    Cannon  5.0                                                                    Challenger                                                                             4.7                                                                    Classic 4.7                                                                    Coventry                                                                               4.7                                                                    Eclipse 5.0                                                                    Estate  5.3                                                                    Fairfax 4.3                                                                    Georgetown                                                                             4.7                                                                    Glade   5.0                                                                    Gnome   4.0                                                                    Haga    4.3                                                                    Kelly   5.0                                                                    Kenblue 4.3                                                                    Liberty 5.0                                                                    Merion  5.0                                                                    Merit   4.3                                                                    Midnight                                                                               4.7                                                                    Monopoly                                                                               5.0                                                                    Nassau  4.0                                                                    Ram 1   4.7                                                                    So. Dakota                                                                             4.3                                                                    Touchdown                                                                              4.7                                                                    Viva    5.0                                                                    LSD (.05)                                                                              1.2                                                             ______________________________________                                          Drought Tolerance (Wilting) Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Wilting            

                  TABLE 17                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Drought Tolerance (Dormancy) of Ba 78-258 and Other            Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in a Test A Conducted at Haymarket, VA.                  Variety Test A                                                          ______________________________________                                                Ba 78-258                                                                              4.7                                                                    Ba 77-700                                                                              5.3                                                                    Abbey   4.3                                                                    Able 1  3.3                                                                    Allure  4.0                                                                    Ascot   4.0                                                                    A-34    3.0                                                                    Banff   3.3                                                                    Baron   4.0                                                                    Buckingham                                                                             4.0                                                                    Cannon  4.0                                                                    Challenger                                                                             3.3                                                                    Classic 3.7                                                                    Coventry                                                                               3.7                                                                    Eclipse 4.3                                                                    Estate  4.3                                                                    Fairfax 4.3                                                                    Georgetown                                                                             3.7                                                                    Glade   5.0                                                                    Gnome   3.7                                                                    Haga    3.0                                                                    Kelly   4.0                                                                    Kenblue 4.0                                                                    Liberty 3.0                                                                    Merion  3.7                                                                    Merit   4.7                                                                    Midnight                                                                               3.7                                                                    Monopoly                                                                               4.0                                                                    Nassau  3.3                                                                    Ram 1   4.3                                                                    So. Dakota                                                                             4.0                                                                    Touchdown                                                                              4.0                                                                    Viva    4.7                                                                    LSD (.05)                                                                              1.1                                                             ______________________________________                                          Drought Tolerance (Dormancy) Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Dormancy          

                  TABLE 18                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Drought Tolerance (Recovery) of Ba 78-258                      and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in a Test A                             Conducted at Various Locations in the U.S.                                                   Test A*                                                          Variety       (Mean Values)                                                    ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258     5.3                                                              Ba 77-700     4.8                                                              Abbey         4.5                                                              Able 1        4.3                                                              Allure        4.7                                                              Ascot         3.2                                                              A-34          3.3                                                              Banff         3.5                                                              Baron         5.5                                                              Buckingham    2.8                                                              Cannon        4.3                                                              Challenger    3.5                                                              Classic       4.2                                                              Coventry      4.7                                                              Eclipse       3.3                                                              Estate        5.5                                                              Fairfax       5.0                                                              Georgetown    3.5                                                              Glade         4.2                                                              Gnome         4.8                                                              Haga          4.0                                                              Kelly         4.5                                                              Kenblue       4.8                                                              Liberty       4.2                                                              Merion        3.5                                                              Merit         5.7                                                              Midnight      4.5                                                              Monopoly      4.7                                                              Nassau        5.0                                                              Ram 1         4.3                                                              So. Dakota    3.7                                                              Touchdown     4.3                                                              Viva          4.8                                                              LSD (.05)     1.2                                                              ______________________________________                                          Drought Recovery Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Complete Recovery                      *Locations: Carbondale, IL; pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais,      OR.                                                                      

Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turf performance. Ba 78-258 has been found to have a medium to high level of resistance to the following diseases: (a) leaf spot and melting out caused by Dreschslera poae formerly called Helminthosporium vagans; (b) dollar spot caused by Sclerotinia homoecarpa; (c) several diseases of rusts caused by Puccinia spp.; and (d) brown patch caused by Rhizoctonia solani.

Comparisons of disease incidence of Ba 78-258 as compared with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to leaf spot, dollar spot, rusts, and brown patch are presented in Tables 19-24.

                  TABLE 19                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Leaf Spot incidence IN Ba 78-258 and                           Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two (2) Tests                            Conducted at Various Locations in the U.S.                                                   Means                                                            Variety         Test 1* Test 2**                                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258       5.8     6.9                                                    Ba 77-700       5.7     7.2                                                    Abbey           5.1     7.8                                                    Able 1          7.1     7.8                                                    Allure          5.8     7.7                                                    Ascot           7.4     8.1                                                    A-34            5.4     7.2                                                    Banff           5.9     7.8                                                    Baron           5.4     7.1                                                    Buckingham      6.8     8.3                                                    Cannon          5.8     8.0                                                    Challenger      6.9     8.0                                                    Classic         5.4     7.8                                                    Coventry        5.8     6.8                                                    Eclipse         7.4     8.1                                                    Estate          5.9     7.9                                                    Fairfax         4.9     6.6                                                    Georgetown      6.3     8.0                                                    Glade           4.8     4.8                                                    Gnome           5.7     7.6                                                    Haga            5.9     7.2                                                    Kelly           5.1     7.2                                                    Kenblue         1.8     1.2                                                    Liberty         6.8     8.1                                                    Merion          7.3     8.0                                                    Merit           5.4     7.4                                                    Midnight        6.6     8.1                                                    Monopoly        5.2     7.1                                                    Nassau          6.2     8.2                                                    Ram 1           4.9     3.4                                                    So. Dakota      1.8     2.2                                                    Touchdown       6.3     7.4                                                    Viva            5.1     7.4                                                    LSD (.05)       0.7     0.9                                                    ______________________________________                                          Leaf Spot Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease                                    *Locations: Post, Falls, ID; North Brunswick, NJ; Adelphia, NJ;                Marysville, OH                                                                 **Locations: Post Falls, ID; North Brunswick, NJ; Adelphia, NJ.          

                  TABLE 20                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Dollar Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 78-258                     and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Three (3) Tests                      Conducted at Various Locations in the U.S.                                              Means                                                                 Variety    Test 1*     Test 2** Test 3***                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258  7.0         6.2      8.3                                            Ba 77-700  7.0         7.0      7.7                                            Abbey      6.8         6.3      8.3                                            Able 1     6.8         6.1      7.7                                            Allure     6.4         5.3      6.0                                            Ascot      7.8         7.0      8.3                                            A-34       6.7         6.0      8.7                                            Banff      6.4         6.2      8.7                                            Baron      6.9         6.8      8.0                                            Buckingham 7.9         4.8      8.3                                            Cannon     6.6         6.4      8.7                                            Challenger 6.4         4.7      --                                             Classic    7.4         6.3      8.5                                            Coventry   5.9         5.9      7.0                                            Eclipse    7.5         7.2      8.3                                            Estate     5.3         5.6      8.0                                            Fairfax    5.8         6.0      6.5                                            Georgetown 6.9         6.1      8.3                                            Glade      7.0         6.4      7.7                                            Gnome      6.7         6.1      8.3                                            Haga       6.3         6.2      8.3                                            Kelly      7.3         6.3      8.3                                            Kenblue    6.8         6.8      8.7                                            Liberty    7.3         6.8      8.0                                            Merion     6.9         6.1      8.0                                            Merit      6.8         6.7      8.0                                            Midnight   8.0         6.6      8.3                                            Monopoly   7.1         6.7      7.7                                            Nassau     7.4         6.7      8.3                                            Ram 1      6.0         4.9      6.3                                            So. Dakota 7.3         5.8      8.5                                            Touchdown  6.8         6.1      7.3                                            Viva       7.1         6.2      8.0                                            LSD (.05)  1.1         0.8      1.1                                            ______________________________________                                          Dollar Spot Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease                                  *Locations: Urbana, IL; Adelphia, NJ; Kingston, RI; Haymarket, VA.             **Locations: Urbana, IL; Silver Spring, MD; Kingston, RI.                      ***Locations: Silver Spring, MD.                                         

                  TABLE 21                                                         ______________________________________                                         A comparison of Stem Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 78-258                       and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Adelphia, NJ.                               Variety Stem Rust                                                       ______________________________________                                                Ba 78-258                                                                              7.0                                                                    Ba77-700                                                                               7.3                                                                    Abbey   7.0                                                                    Able 1  3.3                                                                    Allure  6.3                                                                    Ascot   7.3                                                                    A-34    4.3                                                                    Banff   7.7                                                                    Baron   7.0                                                                    Buckingham                                                                             5.7                                                                    Cannon  7.3                                                                    Challenger                                                                             4.0                                                                    Classic 8.0                                                                    Coventry                                                                               6.7                                                                    Eclipse 4.0                                                                    Estate  6.3                                                                    Fairfax 6.3                                                                    Georgetown                                                                             8.7                                                                    Glade   7.7                                                                    Gnome   7.0                                                                    Haga    8.0                                                                    Kelly   8.0                                                                    Kenblue 5.7                                                                    Liberty 7.7                                                                    Merion  1.0                                                                    Merit   6.3                                                                    Midnight                                                                               8.0                                                                    Monopoly                                                                               6.3                                                                    Nassau  8.0                                                                    Ram 1   8.0                                                                    So. Dakota                                                                             4.3                                                                    Touchdown                                                                              2.3                                                                    Viva    6.7                                                                    LSD (.05)                                                                              1.4                                                             ______________________________________                                          Stem Rust Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease                              

                  TABLE 22                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Leaf Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 78-258                       and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Kingston, RI.                               Variety Leaf Rust                                                       ______________________________________                                                Ba 78-258                                                                              7.3                                                                    Ba77-700                                                                               8.0                                                                    Abbey   6.3                                                                    Able 1  7.0                                                                    Allure  6.0                                                                    Ascot   6.0                                                                    A-34    6.0                                                                    Banff   7.0                                                                    Baron   8.3                                                                    Buckingham                                                                             6.7                                                                    Cannon  6.3                                                                    Challenger                                                                             5.7                                                                    Classic 8.7                                                                    Coventry                                                                               7.0                                                                    Eclipse 5.7                                                                    Estate  6.3                                                                    Fairfax 6.0                                                                    Georgetown                                                                             7.7                                                                    Glade   7.0                                                                    Gnome   6.7                                                                    Haga    7.0                                                                    Kelly   5.0                                                                    Kenblue 6.7                                                                    Liberty 7.3                                                                    Merion  2.3                                                                    Merit   6.0                                                                    Midnight                                                                               6.0                                                                    Monopoly                                                                               5.3                                                                    Nassau  7.0                                                                    Ram 1   6.7                                                                    So. Dakota                                                                             6.7                                                                    Touchdown                                                                              3.7                                                                    Viva    5.7                                                                    LSD (.05)                                                                              2.4                                                             ______________________________________                                          Leaf Rust Range Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease                               

                  TABLE 23                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Brown Patch Disease Incidence in                               Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at                            Haymarket, VA.                                                                        Variety Brown Patch                                                     ______________________________________                                                Ba 78-258                                                                              8.7                                                                    Ba77-700                                                                               6.0                                                                    Abbey   9.0                                                                    Able 1  8.3                                                                    Allure  7.7                                                                    Ascot   8.7                                                                    A-34    7.3                                                                    Banff   8.0                                                                    Baron   7.7                                                                    Buckingham                                                                             7.0                                                                    Cannon  8.7                                                                    Challenger                                                                             6.0                                                                    Classic 7.0                                                                    Coventry                                                                               6.7                                                                    Eclipse 7.3                                                                    Estate  7.0                                                                    Fairfax 5.3                                                                    Georgetown                                                                             6.7                                                                    Glade   8.3                                                                    Gnome   7.7                                                                    Haga    7.0                                                                    Kelly   7.0                                                                    Kenblue 5.3                                                                    Liberty 7.0                                                                    Merion  7.0                                                                    Merit   8.7                                                                    Midnight                                                                               8.3                                                                    Monopoly                                                                               7.0                                                                    Nassau  8.0                                                                    Ram 1   6.7                                                                    So. Dakota                                                                             6.3                                                                    Touchdown                                                                              8.3                                                                    Viva    7.7                                                                    LSD (.05)                                                                              2.4                                                             ______________________________________                                          Brown Patch Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease                            

                  TABLE 24                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Stripe Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 78-258                     and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.                         Variety       Stripe Rust                                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258     3.6                                                              Ba77-700      3.6                                                              Ba 78-165     6.0                                                              Abbey         4.0                                                              Allure        2.4                                                              Ascot         6.4                                                              Bristol       4.6                                                              Buckingham    4.6                                                              Cannon        5.6                                                              Chateau       2.4                                                              Coventry      1.8                                                              Estate        2.8                                                              Fairfax       2.6                                                              Gnome         4.2                                                              Kelly         5.8                                                              Newport       8.8                                                              Victa         6.4                                                              Viva          4.4                                                              LSD (.05)     1.6                                                              ______________________________________                                          Stripe Rust Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Most Rust                             

Additional comparisons for sod strength, Poa annua content, mature plant height, vegetative growth versus seed heads, panicle length, days to heading, days to anthesis and seed yields are presented in Tables 25-32.

                  TABLE 25                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Sod Strength of Ba 78-258 and Other                            Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Haymarket, VA.                                 Variety       Sod Strength                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258     36.0                                                             Ba77-700      34.3                                                             Abbey         49.7                                                             Able 1        31.3                                                             Allure        34.3                                                             Ascot         27.7                                                             A-34          29.0                                                             Banff         33.3                                                             Baron         38.3                                                             Buckingham    26.0                                                             Cannon        29.0                                                             Challenger    31.7                                                             Classic       28.3                                                             Coventry      36.3                                                             Eclipse       26.3                                                             Estate        35.3                                                             Fairfax       32.0                                                             Georgetown    24.3                                                             Glade         21.0                                                             Gnome         39.0                                                             Haga          26.7                                                             Kelly         39.7                                                             Kenblue       31.7                                                             Liberty       27.7                                                             Merion        27.7                                                             Merit         41.0                                                             Midnight      26.7                                                             Monopoly      28.7                                                             Nassau        21.7                                                             Ram 1         36.3                                                             So. Dakota    18.3                                                             Touchdown     38.7                                                             Viva          31.0                                                             LSD (.05)     12.7                                                             ______________________________________                                          Sod Strength Measured in Kilograms of Tension                            

                  TABLE 26                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Poa Annua Content of Ba 78-258 and                             Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties Based on Pooled Data                        from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, OR.                                          Variety      Poa Annua Content                                                 ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258    7.7                                                               Ba77-700     6.3                                                               Abbey        5.7                                                               Able 1       5.0                                                               Allure       7.3                                                               Ascot        4.0                                                               A-34         5.7                                                               Banff        8.7                                                               Baron        7.3                                                               Buckingham   6.7                                                               Cannon       6.7                                                               Challenger   7.7                                                               Classic      8.3                                                               Coventry     5 0                                                               Eclipse      5.0                                                               Estate       6.3                                                               Fairfax      7.3                                                               Georgetown   8.3                                                               Glade        6.7                                                               Gnome        4.7                                                               Haga         8.7                                                               Kelly        4.7                                                               Kenblue      8.0                                                               Liberty      7.7                                                               Merion       1.7                                                               Merit        6.3                                                               Midnight     6.3                                                               Monopoly     8.0                                                               Nassau       7.7                                                               Ram 1        8.3                                                               So. Dakota   7.3                                                               Touchdown    7.3                                                               Viva         6.0                                                               LSD (.05)    1.8                                                               ______________________________________                                          Poa annua Content Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Poa annua                    

                  TABLE 27                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Mature Plant Height of Ba 78-258 and                           Other Kentucky Varieties at Gervais, OR.                                       Variety       Height (cm)                                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258     60.3                                                             Ba77-700      60.0                                                             Ba 78-165     53.4                                                             Abbey         65.0                                                             Allure        53.0                                                             Ascot         56.0                                                             Bristol       69.4                                                             Buckingham    66.8                                                             Cannon        68.4                                                             Chateau       60.2                                                             Coventry      62.4                                                             Estate        57.4                                                             Fairfax       60.6                                                             Gnome         60.8                                                             Kelly         65.2                                                             Newport       74.9                                                             Victa         68.2                                                             Viva          61.6                                                             LSD (.05)     8.7                                                              ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 28                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Vegetative Growth Versus Seed Heads of                         Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at                            Gervais, OR.                                                                                Vegetative Growth                                                 Variety      vs. Seed Heads                                                    ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258    6.9                                                               Ba77-700     7.2                                                               Ba 78-165    5.8                                                               Abby         5.8                                                               Allure       7.2                                                               Ascot        4.2                                                               Bristol      6.0                                                               Buckingham   5.6                                                               Cannon       8.0                                                               Chateau      6.8                                                               Coventry     8.0                                                               Estate       8.6                                                               Fairfax      7.2                                                               Gnome        6.6                                                               Kelly        4.8                                                               Newport      3.4                                                               Victa        7.8                                                               Viva         7.2                                                               LSD (.05)    1.8                                                               ______________________________________                                          Vegetative Growth versus Seed Heads Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Most vegetativ      Growth                                                                   

                  TABLE 29                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Panicle Length of Ba 78-258 and Kentucky                       Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.                                                          Panicle                                                          Variety       Length (cm)                                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258     11.1                                                             Ba77-700      8.9                                                              Ba 78-165     8.6                                                              Abby          10.4                                                             Allure        7.8                                                              Ascot         9.5                                                              Bristol       13.6                                                             Buckingham    11.9                                                             Cannon        9.9                                                              Chateau       7.7                                                              Coventry      7.8                                                              Estate        8.3                                                              Fairfax       9.1                                                              Gnome         9.7                                                              Kelly         9.7                                                              Newport       10.8                                                             Victa         10.0                                                             Viva          9.8                                                              LSD (.05)     2.0                                                              ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 30                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Days to Heading of Ba 78-258 and Other                         Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR                                             Days to Heading                                                       Variety    First         50%    100%                                           ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258  110.1         125.5  128.1                                          Ba77-700   109.8         125.4  127.2                                          Ba 78-165  100.2         118.6  121.6                                          Abby       108.2         124.2  127.2                                          Allure     110.6         125.0  126.2                                          Ascot      88.0          112.0  118.6                                          Bristol    95.4          118.6  122.2                                          Buckingham 94.0          112.4  120.0                                          Cannon     113.4         125.0  127.0                                          Chateau    106.0         123.8  126.0                                          Coventry   105.8         122.4  124.6                                          Estate     105.8         123.8  125.6                                          Fairfax    102.6         121.6  124.4                                          Gnome      109.8         125.4  127.2                                          Kelly      112.2         125.4  127.2                                          Newport    85.0          109.8  118.2                                          Victa      111.6         125.0  127.0                                          Viva       109.4         125.0  127.2                                          LSD 0.05   5.3           4.0    1.8                                            ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 31                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Days to Anthesis of Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky               Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR                                                      Days to Anthesis                                                      Variety    First         50%    100%                                           ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258  129.1         134.1  137.5                                          Ba77-700   129.0         134.4  137.8                                          Ba 78-165  124.2         126.2  132.0                                          Abbey      129.2         132.4  136.6                                          Allure     127.8         131.0  134.8                                          Ascot      118.6         123.8  131.8                                          Bristol    124.6         126.6  132.0                                          Buckingham 123.4         127.6  133.6                                          Cannon     129.0         132.2  136.0                                          Chateau    128.2         130.8  135.2                                          Coventry   126.6         128.6  134.4                                          Estate     127.0         129.2  135.2                                          Fairfax    125.8         128.8  132.8                                          Gnome      129.0         133.2  136.6                                          Kelly      129.0         132.8  136.6                                          Newport    120.4         123.4  131.4                                          Victa      129.0         132.2  136.0                                          Viva       129.0         132.8  136.6                                          LSD (0.05) 2.1           2.5    1.8                                            ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 32                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Seed Yields of Ba 78-258 and Other                             Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Three (3) Tests Conducted                      at Imbler, OR.                                                                          Seed Yield (Lbs./acre)                                                Variety    Test 1       Test 2  Test 3                                         ______________________________________                                         Ba 78-258  1,377        1,211   1,076                                          Ba77-700   1,569        1,105   1,156                                          Abbey      1,549        1,324   1,090                                          Buckingham 748          923     740                                            Cannon     1,551        1,130   1,171                                          Coventry   1,046        839     847                                            Fairfax    1,159        1,074   766                                            Viva       1,612        1,111   1,054                                          LSD (.05)    160          271     296                                          ______________________________________                                     

What is claimed is:
 1. A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass plant, substantially as shown and described, characterized by a medium to high level of resistance to a broad spectrum of serious diseases including leaf spot and melting out, dollar spot, rusts and brown patch; a dark green color throughout the growing season; a medium to high quality turf formation under a wide variety of environmental conditions; a moderately wide blade; a strong root system and a high level of seed yielding capacity. 